# So How Should I Mess With This eBay Scammer? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 29, 2004, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-should-i-mess-with-this-ebay-scammer/266738 "2004-09-29T22:29:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2004, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-should-i-mess-with-this-ebay-scammer/266738/41 "2004-10-24T00:26:21Z")
> [@KRM](#): > > Are you serious? I would think that depositing a check that you have reason to believe is a forgery would put you on pretty shaky legal ground. Wait a minute. I think I misunderstood your post. When you said that you weren’t going to do anything with the money, I took that to be the money that you had deposited into your account. I didn’t read it as “I’m not going to do anything with the check”. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tellmei_mnotcrazy/32/3419_2.png) [@TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TellMeI_mNotCrazy)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2004, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-should-i-mess-with-this-ebay-scammer/266738/42 "2004-10-24T00:39:43Z")
> [@KRM](#): > > Wait a minute. I think I misunderstood your post. When you said that you weren’t going to do anything with the money, I took that to be the money that you had deposited into your account. I didn’t read it as “I’m not going to do anything with the check”. :smack: I dunno, I think just depositing a check that you “know” to be a fake is a legally risky move. I may be wrong. Also I’m confused by the “it doesn’t feel like a real check” comment. You know that just about anything can be used as a check, it doesn’t have to be printed by some special factory - as long as it contains the correct information, (and, I assume in the correct format) it really doesn’t matter what it’s on. Which is why you can buy “print your own check” kits at Staples. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2004, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-should-i-mess-with-this-ebay-scammer/266738/43 "2004-10-24T23:41:06Z")
[Here’s the front of the check](http://usera.imagecave.com/tuckerfan/check1.jpg) and [here’s the back.](http://usera.imagecave.com/tuckerfan/check2.jpg) It certainly _looks_ real, but when I held it in my hands, it didn’t feel real at all. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2004, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-should-i-mess-with-this-ebay-scammer/266738/44 "2004-10-24T23:54:35Z")
> [@TellMeI'mNotCrazy](#): > > I dunno, I think just depositing a check that you “know” to be a fake is a legally risky move. I may be wrong. > > Also I’m confused by the “it doesn’t feel like a real check” comment. You know that just about anything can be used as a check, it doesn’t have to be printed by some special factory - as long as it contains the correct information, (and, I assume in the correct format) it really doesn’t matter what it’s on. Which is why you can buy “print your own check” kits at Staples. Right, but this was done up like a money order and printed on an odd kind of card stock. It also didn’t have the microperferation marks on it like even the “print your own check” kits have. And legally, I _think_ that I’m fine, since I’m not going to spend the “money” or otherwise attempt to defraud the bank. Though, I suppose that it _could_ be considered guilty of fraud, since I led that fellow on, with no intention of ever doing what he asked. I imagine that the worst that could happen is I get hit with a fee for a bad check. Sadly, none of the other scammers have sent me money or responded to my demands to know what was going on. Bastards must be on to me. ---
**Author:** ![duffer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duffer/32/1026_2.png) [@duffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duffer)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2004, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-should-i-mess-with-this-ebay-scammer/266738/45 "2004-10-25T00:16:20Z")
How would you be defrauding your bank? If they accept it, then send it to the “issuing” bank, and everything clears both, It sounds like you have a car to mail. BTW, my wife works at a bank and she says it certainly looks real, though not sure since she can’t physically examine it. Go ahead and deposit it, Hell, stranger things have happened. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-should-i-mess-with-this-ebay-scammer/266738.md?page=2)